


Bonnie

by Boo2020



Category: Pocket Monsters | Pokemon (Anime)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-02-20
Updated: 2014-03-08
Packaged: 2018-01-13 05:56:34
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 9,316
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1215211
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Boo2020/pseuds/Boo2020
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When Jessie stumbles back into James' life fifteen years after their Team Rocket days, how will they come to terms with their feelings, new and old?</p><p>-On Indefinite Hiatus-</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> So, the first three chapters of this story were actually written back in February of 2012. I had posted it on fanfiction.net and then went on a two year hiatus. I've recently started writing for it again and although I can't promise it won't go on another hiatus, I am going to try very hard to continue working on it.
> 
> Thanks in advance for any comments/kudos!

Jessie tightened her scarf around her neck and wrapped her arms around herself. It was freezing. She was lucky she had the jacket and scarf that she had, but her legs were freezing as she only had a pair of sweatpants on, with sneakers. She tried to stick to walking in other people’s footprints, but every so often her foot would sink into the snow, getting cold snow into her shoes. Her toes felt like they were about to fall off.

She looked up at the houses around her and realized she had walked into the upper class part of the neighbourhood. The houses around her were all huge, mansions really, with long driveways leading up to garages that no doubt held expensive cars. She sighed heavily, wishing she was lucky enough to live in one. Eventually she found an empty bus shelter and decided to sit for a minute, even though she knew it would be better to keep moving if she wanted to stay warm. She sat down on the bench and pulled her legs up to her chest, trying to warm herself. She was shaking violently and hardly had the strength to rub her arms over herself. She looked across the road from where she was sitting, at a beautiful brick mansion. Like all the other houses, the driveway was long, starting at a large black gate and winding its way towards the house and around a fountain that was sitting in the middle. The fountain was turned off, but Jessie assumed it was beautiful in the summer. Again she found herself wishing, wishing her life hadn’t turned out like it had. She became an orphan when she was small after her mother had disappeared on an important mission for Team Rocket. She had never even known her father. She had worked for Team Rocket for much too long, and now she was here. She thought back to her years in Team Rocket and smiled. They hadn’t been all bad; she had shared them with great friends. But she hadn’t seen those friends in a long time. She put her head on her knees and began to cry. Anything would be better than the life she was living now. She didn’t even have a place to stay anymore.

Jessie looked up at the house across the street from her again. Her tears were already starting to freeze on her face, and she wiped them away. She couldn’t sit there anymore. She knew the people in the houses would probably send her away with disgust, but she had to try. She stood up and crossed the street to the nearest house, the one she had been admiring previously. She was surprised to see that the gate was not locked, so she pushed it open and walked up the driveway.

...

“James, dear?” the Southern accented voice called through the house. It gritted on his nerves.

“What?” he called back, looking away from the mindless television show he was watching. It was the only way to block out his wife.

Jessiebelle walked into the room, largely pregnant and frowning at him. “It’s not polite to say ‘what’, dear.”

James sat there, looking at her blankly, waiting for her to say something else. “The doorbell was ringing, but I was lying down so I couldn’t get it. Go see who was there, will you?”

“Can’t Harold get it?” he said, meaning their butler.

“He’s left for the night already. It’s late, dear,” she answered.

He stood up from his spot and left the room without looking again at her. He went to the front door and swung it open. In front of him, small and scared looking, was a woman. She was wearing a plain brown jacket and had a scarf wrapped around her face. He saw that she was only wearing sweat pants and had running shoes on, hardly suitable for the weather. Her hair was shoulder length and red, and she looked to be about the same age as him.

“Yes?” he asked, looking down at her. She didn't seem to be selling anything, but she didn't look dangerous either.

“Sir, I’m – I’m sorry to bother you,” Jessie kept her eyes downcast, not wanting to look at this person in front of her, scared of the disgust she would see in his face.

“I’m sorry?” he said. “I can’t hear you when you’re mumbling, and why are you staring at the ground?”

Surprised by his words, Jessie looked up at him. He was tall and thin, green eyes squinting at her. His hair was a blue-ish colour and it was short, except for a few bangs that kept falling into his face. He was wearing simple black dress pants and a white dress shirt with the sleeves rolled up to his elbows. Behind him all she could see was a large set of stairs leading to a second floor.

“I – I’m just...” she hadn’t rehearsed what she was going to say, and now she was taken aback by this man in front of her. He was tall, good looking, rich, and waiting for an answer. She was nervous. “I have nowhere to go and I was just wondering if I could maybe warm up inside, I’ll leave as soon as possible of course but I feel like my toes will fall off if I stay outside any longer. I’m desperate,” she blurted it all out in one attempt. She was staring at him now, looking for that disgust she was sure she would see, but he didn’t look outraged that she had asked, and he didn’t look like he wanted to turn her away either. He was staring hard at her though and it made her slightly uncomfortable. “I understand if you turn me away. I’m a complete stranger, asking to come into your home.” She shook her head. "Never mind, I'm sorry, I'll go-".

“Do I know you?” he asked suddenly.

Again, Jessie was shocked. “Oh, no sir, I’m sure we don’t know each other. I would never be lucky enough to know someone who lived in such a beautiful home and neighbourhood.”

He stepped aside and held the door open for her. “Come in,” he said softly. Jessie could not believe her luck. He was asking her to come inside. She stepped inside the house and the rush of heat automatically made her feel better. She looked at the man again, not sure what to do.

“Take your shoes off and everything. I’ll make a room for you in one of our guest rooms.”

Jessie sucked in a breath. “Really?” she said, as tears sprung in her eyes.

He smiled and nodded, and started up the large set of stairs to the second floor.

...

That woman, she seemed so familiar, yet James couldn’t put his finger on it. When she had looked him in the face, her eyes were big and bright blue, and she looked _beautiful._ He knew that Jessiebelle wouldn’t approve when she realized this random woman off the street was going to be staying with them. She would assume the worst about someone who wasn’t like them. But he didn’t care, he trusted this woman, for some reason or another. She just needed a warm place to stay, and he couldn’t turn her away. He was afraid what would happen to her if he did.

He made sure the guest room was tidy, but the bed was made and no one had stayed in the room for a long time, he knew the sheets and blankets were fresh. He made his way back down the stairs and saw her waiting for him. She had taken her jacket off and hung it in the closet by the door, revealing that she only had on a thin t-shirt underneath. She looked up at him and gave him a smile. He motioned for her to come with him.

There was the quiet sound of heels clicking on the floor. James swore under his breath but didn’t bother to hurry; Jessiebelle would have to find out sooner or later.

Jessiebelle appeared in the doorway and stopped dead in her tracks. “Who is this?” she asked. Jessie saw the disgust in this woman’s expression; she was different than the man. She knew right away that she wouldn’t be accepted by this woman.

“This is...” he trailed off, he didn’t know her name.

“Jessie,” Jessie answered for him.

James did a double take, his mouth dropped open and he had to supress a gasp. He was speechless. _Jessie!_ It was her. Standing right in front of him, and she didn't recognize him! He managed to take a deep breath, glad that neither of them had noticed his temporary shock. “Jessiebelle, this is Jessie. I’m letting her stay in the guest room upstairs. It’s freezing outside and she has nowhere to go.”

“We don’t even know her! She’s a complete stranger!” Jessiebelle said, crossing her arms over her large stomach. 

James took Jessie by the hand and watched as Jessiebelle narrowed her eyes at him, but at the moment he didn’t care. He would deal with that later. “I have to show our guest to her room.” He pulled her hand and started up the stairs; Jessie followed him.


	2. Chapter 2

James opened the door to the room and turned the light on, walking inside. Jessie followed him in and looked around, closing the door behind her. “Wow, it’s beautiful. Your whole home is beautiful. Your wife is beautiful too,” she said, complimenting the woman downstairs despite the way she had acted like Jessie was the worst thing she had ever laid eyes on. She had seen the couple’s wedding rings.

“Thank you,” James answered absentmindedly. He turned around to face the window, not sure what to say. He wanted to tell Jessie who he was, but he didn’t know where to start. Jessie wandered around the room, looking around.

“Jessie,” James started, “that’s what your name was, right?”

She looked at him and nodded. “Yes. Thank you for letting me stay here. I’ll be out of your sight as soon as possible-”

“You don’t recognize me at all?” he blurted out.

Jessie narrowed her eyes. “No, why would I?”

“I guess I’m not as good looking as I once was,” he said playfully, smiling. “Age catches up to you, and that was a long time ago. Or maybe I’m just less conceited now.”

“What are you talking about?” Jessie said, looking closely at him, but not seeing a resemblance to anyone she knew.

“Jessie, it’s me. It’s James,” he said.

Jessie’s face changed from confusion, to a look of recognition. She didn’t know what to say, her heart was beating so fast it felt like it would jump out of her chest. “James?” she breathed. He nodded. “Oh my God,” she said. “I – I don’t know what to say. I didn’t even recognize you. Oh my God,” she repeated. She walked up to him and looked up at him, putting her hands to his chest, just wanting to touch him, to make sure he was real. “It’s you. You’re... older. And your hair is so short, and your clothes are so fancy, and-”

“This _is_ unbelievable. And you’re older too,” he said, smirking at her.

Jessie nodded and sat down on the bed, letting out a laugh. "I can't believe this." He sat down next to her and raised his eyebrows. “I don’t even know where to begin. You live _here_?” Jessie asked.

James nodded. “You should remember that I was always a spoiled rich kid. I just never wanted to end up back here.”

Jessie’s eyes widened with the memories. “You’re married. Is she-?”

“Jessiebelle. The one you met when we were still kids, yes.”

“But you – you never liked her.”

“Jessie, when you left that day, the last time I saw you, to become a Top Coordinator, I had nowhere to go but back home. Meowth had left, and you were gone too. I had to come back here, and of course Jessiebelle who was still my fiancée back then was waiting. I had to marry her, it was what my parents wanted,” he said, looking at the floor.

“James, I’m sorry. Do you love her now, that you’ve been married so long?”

He shook his head. "We tolerate each other."

“But she’s pregnant?” Jessie said. She looked away from James, suddenly embarrassed for herself. She had never quite learned to keep her mouth shut about certain things.

He nodded slowly. “Yeah, things happen. I’m gonna be a dad,” he said.

“Are you excited?” Jessie asked, looking at him.

“That kid will be the only good thing to come out of this relationship. When we first found out I wasn’t so sure, I never really wanted kids, at least not with her. But of course there has to be an heir anyway, since I was an only child.”

“What do you do? I mean, your family.”

“I run my father’s business now.”

“Wow. You are so lucky.”

“I guess that depends on your perspective.”

“But look at your home.”

“I know, as far as comfort goes, I have it made,” he said, looking around the room.

“Maybe you’ll be happier once your child is born.”

“Yeah, that will help. It’s a girl,” he said.

Jessie smiled. “You’ll make a great dad, you know.”

“Thanks, I hope so. What about you? What happened?”

Jessie looked at the floor. “I never made it to the final round at the Grand Festival. I was so devastated that I just gave up. I even released all of my Pokémon. I feel terrible about that. And after that I had nowhere to go, nothing to do. I live day to day, have no money. I’m pretty much homeless.”

James shook his head. “You’re not anymore. You can stay here as long as you need to.”

“Your wife didn’t look too happy about me being here.”

“She’s never very happy when she doesn’t get what she wants. Don’t worry about her, okay? Just try to stay out of her way. She won’t kick you out if I tell her not to.”

“Oh, man of the house, huh?”

“No, not exactly. She’s always known how I feel about her. If she doesn’t at least make an effort to do some of the things I ask her, she’s scared I’ll leave.”

“I see... well thank you, James. Really. I can’t believe I’ve found you again,” she smiled.

“It’s nothing. There’s a bathroom in the next room over if you want a shower or anything. Clean towels and stuff too. If you need anything, please ask me,” he smiled and stood up.

Jessie just nodded and watched him step out of the room, closing the door behind him.

 


	3. Chapter 3

Jessie awoke the next morning when the sun shined through the cracks in the blinds, onto her face. She remembered where she was and smiled, snuggling down into the bed’s comforter even more. She couldn’t remember the last time she was so warm and comfortable in bed. Or even the last time she had slept a whole night through without waking up. She turned over and looked at the alarm clock on the side table. It read 7:45 am. It was early, but she had gone to bed early the previous night. She stretched and sat up, not sure what to do or where to go. She picked up her shirt from the night stand and put it back on, then grabbed her pants and pulled them on. She walked over to the bedroom door and quietly opened it, not knowing whether or not anyone else was awake.

The smell of cooking hit her from the hallway, there was definitely someone awake. She left the room and headed back the way James had brought her the night before, finding the stairs and going down them. Following her nose, she poked her head into what she assumed was the kitchen. Sure enough, there was a short, pudgy woman standing over a stove, cooking what looked like eggs and sausages.

Jessie looked around, noticing that the kitchen had another opening on the other side; she assumed another way to get in from a different room. She watched the lady cook, figuring she was a servant of James and Jessiebelle.

James walked into the kitchen from the other side, holding a cup of coffee. He was dressed even nicer than the day before, in black a business suit, without the jacket. He had a neck tie on, though it was loose at the moment. Jessie stared at him. It was strange to see him dressed that way when he had rarely worn things like that back when they were younger. 

She watched as he walked over to the woman cooking, smiling at her. “I thought I told you to take the day off today?” he said to her.

The woman looked up at him and smiled. “You did. But Lady Jessiebelle wanted me to come in today.”

“Ah, well when you’re done breakfast, go home, okay? If she gives you a hard time, tell her to talk to me.”

The woman smiled and nodded. Jessie found herself smiling too. That was the James she remembered. She hadn’t seen Jessiebelle anywhere yet, so she decided to go into the kitchen, letting her presence be known.

James was just sitting down at the table when she walked in. He looked up at her and pointed to the chair across from him. “Good morning, Jess!”

She couldn’t help but grin at him when he shortened her name. It was like nothing had changed.

“Morning. Why are you up so early?”

He raised his eyebrow slightly at her. “I have to work.”

“Oh, right. Sorry. You look good.”

He shrugged. “Thanks. I have to wear it."

“I figured. So, where’s Jessiebelle?”

James’ smile turned to a frown. “Probably sleeping still. Pregnant and all.”

Jessie nodded.

The woman cooking turned around, holding two platefuls of eggs and bacon, along with some toast. She set the plates down in front of Jessie and James. She smiled warmly at Jessie. “And who is this?”

“This is Jessie,” James answered her. “She’s staying with us for a while. I used to know her, way back when. You know... my Team Rocket days,” he looked down at the table, then quickly back up. “Jessie this is Wanda. She’s our cook officially, though she does take care of a lot of other things around here. She’s not supposed to be here today though.”

"Oh dear, you know I don't mind. I'd rather be here than leave you and Lady Jessiebelle to your own devices."

James made a face at her, and Jessie turned to Wanda and shook her hand. “Nice to meet you, Wanda."

“Same to you,” Wanda responded. “Enjoy your meals. If you need anything else Miss Jessie, just let me know.”

“Thank you,” Jessie said.

Wanda left the room, leaving Jessie and James to themselves. They ate in silence for a few minutes, before James broke it. “Neither of us has mentioned Team Rocket yet. It did happen, didn’t it?”

Jessie looked at him. “Yes, yes it did. It wasn't that bad, was it?”

He shook his head. “No. And even if it was, we’re back together now, that’s all that matters right?”

Jessie was surprised at his words. “I’m glad we’ve found each other. But how long is this going to last? You’ll have a family soon. I have no place in it.”

James sighed. “I don’t know. I guess we’ll just figure that out when it gets there."

Jessie nodded and sipped the coffee Wanda had given her, glancing up at James. He had set aside his half eaten food and opened the folder he had brought in. He sat staring at the words and numbers on the page. Jessie didn’t know what kind of company he ran so she simply watched him pick up a pen and start scribbling on the page. When they were in Team Rocket he had always been a hard worker. People didn’t think so, as their plans had always failed against that little kid they had chased around for so many years, but she knew he was. She had witnessed many hidden talents he had back then, and she was sure he was handling his father’s company well. Probably better than his father had.

She took a few more bites of her eggs and then set her plate aside as well. James was still writing in the folder, but stopped when he looked up and noticed her staring at him.

“Sorry!” he said. “I shouldn’t be ignoring you.”

“No, it’s fine. You have work to do, I understand.”

He nodded, looking back down at the paper. They both heard footsteps coming and Jessie looked over as Jessiebelle walked into the kitchen. She looked at Jessie, but her face was blank. Jessie was glad it wasn’t the same look of disgust she had seen yesterday. She wondered if James had talked to Jessiebelle that night.

James looked over at Jessiebelle. “Sleep alright?” he said.

“Just fine,” Jessiebelle answered, pouring herself a glass of juice.

“Good,” he answered, as Jessiebelle sat down in the remaining chair at the table. James was already back to reading what was on the paper in front of him. Jessie felt awkward, James and Jessiebelle’s conversation had stopped with that and there was now silence in the room. Jessie had the feeling that most of their interactions went this way, and she felt a little sad, for both of them. If anything she wished James could have found someone he really loved. At the same time, she could tell Jessiebelle loved James and felt bad that she was in a relationship with someone who didn’t reciprocate her feelings, despite how awful Jessie remembered her being when they were kids. Jessie knew how it was to feel unloved and didn’t want anyone, even Jessiebelle, to feel that way. Besides, it seemed as if Jessiebelle had changed over the years. She wasn’t the crazy controlling dominatrix Jessie remembered her as.

Wanda bustled back into the room much to Jessie’s relief, and began to fuss over Jessiebelle. “Oh Lady Jessiebelle, I’m sorry, I was in the other room. Please let me get you something to eat,” she said. “How are you feeling today? Is the baby alright?”

“She’s fine,” Jessiebelle said, putting her hand on her stomach. She looked at James, but he ignored her and continued working on whatever was in front of him. Jessiebelle looked down at the table, hint of a frown on her face.

Jessie continued to keep her face hidden in her coffee cup as much as possible. She was disappointed when she finished it off, so she set it down in front of her and cleared her throat quietly. That seemed to bring James out of his work and he glanced at the watch he was wearing. He closed the folder and left the room, coming back as he was pulling on his suit jacket. He grabbed the folder off of the table and tucked it under an arm. “Wanda, can you please get Jessie some fresh clothes so she can clean up?” Wanda nodded. He then leaned down and much to Jessie’s surprise, kissed Jessiebelle. It was only a quick peck on the lips, but Jessie could tell it had cheered Jessiebelle up considerably. Jessie looked away, feeling suddenly very out of place and awkward.

“Have a nice day at work, dear,” Jessiebelle said. James forced a smile and then was gone.

Jessiebelle looked at Jessie, and Jessie was scared she was going to say something to her. The blank look she had before was gone and it had been replaced with a scowl. She opened her mouth to speak. “Wanda, I’m going to take a bath in the master bathroom.” Jessie let herself breath. Jessiebelle’s look had said as much as it needed. She didn’t like Jessie, and she didn’t want Jessie in her house. She was going to keep her mouth shut though, since it was what James wanted.

“Alrighty Lady Jessiebelle, holler if you need anything,” Wanda answered, coming over and picking up the plates that were left on the table. Jessiebelle stood up, using the table for help and then walked out of the room.

“Let me finish up these dishes and then I’ll find you something decent to wear, Miss Jessie. Then you can clean up in the guest bathroom,” Wanda said, turning from the sink where she was beginning to wash the dishes.

Jessie smiled and nodded at her.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Kind of a boring chapter. Next one should be better.

“Are you sure Jessiebelle won’t mind me wearing this?” Jessie asked Wanda, looking at the dress nervously. They were in a different bedroom, another which looked as though it hadn’t been used by anyone in quite some time. Wanda had searched through the closet for something for Jessie to wear, and had finally pulled out a dress for her. The last thing Jessie wanted to do now was make Jessiebelle hate her even more by wearing her clothes without her permission.

Wanda waved her hand. “She won’t even know it’s gone.”

“Won’t she recognize it if she sees me wearing it?”

“I doubt it. Lady Jessiebelle has a lot of clothes, and this she hasn’t worn in years, which is why it’s in here instead of the master bedroom. She probably doesn’t even remember owning it.” Wanda was still searching through the closet, looking for a pair of shoes and anything else she thought Jessie might need.

“Well… okay,” Jessie said, hoping Wanda was right. The dress was a pretty dark blue colour that fell to about knee height. It was more of a casual summer dress, but Jessie wasn’t going to complain. Wanda must have noticed the look on her face.

“Don’t worry. If you have to go anywhere we’ll find you some warmer clothes. We don’t want you freezing like last time, right?” Jessie nodded. James must have told Wanda already about how she had shown up on their doorstep. Wanda finally pulled a matching pair of flats from the closet and set them on the floor, then smiled at Jessie. “I remember you, you know,” she said suddenly.

Jessie looked at her. “You do?”

Wanda nodded. “I’ve been working for this family for years. Since James was a little boy, actually. I missed him terribly when he ran away, but I understood his reasoning.” Wanda lowered her voice. “His parents were rather pushy with him, as you probably know. We never quite knew what had happened to him until that day he showed up again, with you.”

Jessie listened. She didn’t remember ever seeing this woman, but she had to admit that back then she hadn’t paid much attention to anything besides the fact that James’s parents were rolling in riches.

“I have to say I didn’t much approve of this Team Rocket he was running around with, but I suppose it was a job and he probably didn’t have much choice back then. Besides, that was where he met you. I knew as soon as I saw you two together, along with that strange talking Meowth, that he would be fine.”

Jessie smiled. “Were you surprised when he came back, all those years later?”

Wanda’s smile faded. “I was. I was happy to see him again, but I knew something had happened. He was never really the same when he came back. He accepted everything his parents told him to do – his marriage, taking over the business, his inheritance – and he never tried to leave again. Not the same boy I knew from before, who would have put up quite a fight.”

Jessie’s smile had faded now. “It was my fault,” she said quietly. Wanda raised an eyebrow at her, and Jessie sunk down onto the end of the empty bed. “I left him alone to pursue my own goals, without him and Meowth. It was after a fight we had, a stupid fight for a stupid reason that I don’t even remember now. I regretted it after about half a day on my own, and I went back and tried to find him, but he was gone and I had no way to contact him again. I’ve felt guilty every day of my life since then. I’m surprised he doesn’t hate me.”

Wanda sat down beside her and rested a hand on her shoulder. “James isn’t like that. He may not admit it to anyone, but he has missed you terribly. You’ve only been here a day so far and already his mood has improved greatly. I’m sure there are some things between you two that you’ll need to talk about, if only so you can both heal. Catch up, spend some time together, and things will work themselves out.” Wanda stood up. “Now, you can go wash up in the bathroom. I know Master James told me to go home for the day, but I’d really rather stay, so if you need anything you just let me know.”

Jessie stood up. “Thank you, Wanda, I will.”

“You’re welcome, Miss Jessie.”

…

Jessie made her way back to her guest bedroom on her own. It was only down the hall from the room she was in now. When she reached it she grabbed the door handle to the bedroom and swung it open. There was a loud yell from inside and Jessie slammed the door shut again. “I’m so sorry! I didn’t know someone was in there!”

When there was no answer to her apology she tried the door handle again, slowly opening it this time. She almost fell backwards when the door was pushed into her and something ran out into the hallway, waving its arms at her. Jessie blinked and turned around to face it. She couldn’t help the grin that spread across her face.

“Mr. Mime?”

The Mr. Mime stopped waving his arms and stared long and hard at her, which made her slightly uncomfortable. Jessie tilted her head at him, and noticed when he mimicked her. She tried tilting her head the other way, and the Mr. Mime did the same. There was no doubt about it; this Mr. Mime was the same Mime Jr. that James had had while they were travelling together.

“Long time no see,” Jessie said to the Pokemon. The Mr. Mime smiled largely at her, finally recognizing her, and he ran back into the room and jumped onto the bed to bounce around. A laugh escaped Jessie’s lips and she put her dress and shoes down on the bed, then grabbed the Mr. Mime by the hand, guiding him off of the bed. “Come on, we don’t want you to get hurt. Were you in here jumping on the bed by yourself?”

The Mr. Mime nodded quickly at her, running back out into the hallway. He waved at her and then happily pulled himself along on an invisible rope until it was down the stairs and out of sight. She watched him go, her eyebrows raised, then shrugged to herself. It was good to know that James had gone back to retrieve his Pokemon from Team Rocket headquarters before he came back home. She shut her bedroom door and locked it, and then went into the bathroom and ran the water for the tub. She found some bubble bath on a shelf and poured some of that into the water too.

When the large tub was finally filled, she stepped into it and sank down until the water came up to her chin. She sighed and leaned back against the porcelain. The heat from the water relaxed her and the bubble bath had turned out to be lavender scented. She lost track of time as she laid there, eyes closed. When she noticed the water starting to cool off, she sat up and spent the rest of the time scrubbing herself and washing her hair. When she was finished the water was almost cold, and she stood up, grabbed a towel from the rack and wrapped it around herself, and then grabbed a smaller one and wrapped her hair in it. She stepped out onto the mat and dried herself off, then made her way back into her bedroom.

The dress was on the bed where she had left it, and she slipped into it. It fit her nicely, though she wished she could fill it out a bit more. Jessiebelle was obviously more well-endowed than she was, and Jessie was also skinnier than ever, finding it harder and harder to afford food recently. When she was dressed she made her way over to the vanity, where all manner of hair products sat neatly lined up. She opened the drawers, looking for a hair dryer. When she finally found one she plugged it into the wall and unwrapped her hair from its towel, then spent a few minutes drying it.

Her hair was shorter now, so it didn’t take too long to dry. She couldn’t afford to maintain her long hair anymore, let alone the hair style she had loved so much, so she had made the difficult decision to cut it off. She had done that a few months ago, and it was growing back in, already down to her shoulders again. She finally decided on simply braiding it at the back of her head instead of leaving it down, and when she was finished she was actually happy with her appearance in the mirror.

She jumped when there was a knock on her door, but she stood up to answer it all the same. Wanda was on the other side of it. “Are you alright, dear? You were in there for quite a while.”

“I’m fine; I was just enjoying it, that’s all.”

Wanda smiled at her. “I’m glad. You look lovely.”

“Thank you,” Jessie said, trying not to blush.

Wanda motioned for Jessie to follow her. “Master James isn’t home yet, but he will be soon. I figured I’d give you a tour of the rest of the mansion for now, since you’ll be staying with us for some time. You might as well know where everything is!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Couldn't resist adding Mr. Mime in there. More Pokemon will be showing up in the next chapter, but only because I enjoy adding them into my stories, haha. 
> 
> Again thanks in advance for any comments/kudos!


	5. Chapter 5

Wanda had given Jessie the grand tour of the home, and by the end of it Jessie’s feet were sore from walking. The mansion was huge, some parts of it not even being used for anything currently. All of the rooms were furnished lavishly, but Wanda explained as they passed certain ones that Jessie may want to stay out of them as they were dusty, cold and dark. The main rooms were the large kitchen and separate dining area, a library filled with books and old antique furniture, with a large brick fire place on one wall, and a more modern living area that boasted leather couches, expensive rugs, and a large flat screen TV mounted on a wall. There was a fire place in that room too, but it was built into the wall and was controlled by a remote.

Wanda showed Jessie the bedrooms again, although she mostly knew her way around that area already. She pointed out the master bedroom, and Jessie got the feeling she only did so that Jessie would know which room she definitely shouldn’t go into. Wanda also brought her into a room that had recently been re-modelled, and she explained that it was going to be the nursery for the baby when she finally arrived. It was nearly done, and Jessie couldn’t help smiling as she glanced around the room. All it needed now were finishing touches like blinds for the windows, furniture and decorations. There was already a large chest in one corner with the lid left open, and Jessie could see a bunch of stuffed Pokedolls sitting inside of it.

Eventually they made their way toward the back of the mansion and into another large room where Wanda showed Jessie the indoor pool. Most of the back wall was made of glass windows, and Jessie could see out into the large, fenced in backyard, mostly covered in snow. She squinted when she noticed another large building to the far right of the yard. It looked to be made out of glass as well, but the glass distorted her view and Jessie couldn’t tell what it was used for. Wanda didn’t elaborate, so Jessie didn’t ask.

Finally, much to Jessie’s joy, Wanda concluded the tour, explaining that she needed to start dinner and check on Lady Jessiebelle. She gave Jessie free reign of the house, so Jessie made her way back to the living area with the TV. She plopped down on one of the couches and turned the TV on, flicking through channels until she finally landed on one that was broadcasting Pokemon battles with the current Champion of the Kanto Pokemon League. She hadn’t watched a Pokemon battle in a very long time, so she felt the need to stop and watch it. The Champion was a young man, probably in his mid-twenties, with dark hair an easy smile. Jessie watched as his Pikachu took out the team of every challenger, until there were no more waiting for that day. The Pikachu was so strong that the Champion hadn’t needed to use any of his other Pokemon. As the Champion left the field, the graphic for the television channel was superimposed over the video, and an announcer let viewers know the name of the next show about to air.

“That new Champion is great, huh?”

Jessie turned in her seat at the voice, though she knew who it was right away. “He is. It doesn't surprise me, really. How long has he been Champion?”

James walked into the room, coming around the couch to sit down beside her. “A few months now. You didn’t know?”

Jessie shook her head. “I haven’t uh… been able to keep up on current events lately.” James nodded in understanding, and she was grateful that he didn’t make it seem like such a big deal. There was a pause as they sat together in an awkward silence.

Jessie cleared her throat to break the silence. “So I met Mr. Mime today.”

James looked at her. “Was he in your room? Jumping on your bed?”

“How did you know?” she said, smirking at him.

James let out a short laugh. “It’s kind of our secret, Jessiebelle doesn’t like it so I let him use the guest rooms as long as he’s quiet. I probably should have warned you about that.”

Jessie shrugged. “It’s okay. He startled me but I think he recognized me. When did he evolve?”

“A few years ago, I think. His evolution made him a little crazy, but you won’t find a stronger Psychic type Pokemon anywhere around here.”

“Do you still battle?”

“No, but I try to keep my Pokemon fit, plus they enjoy the practice.”

“You still have all of your old Pokemon?”

“That’s actually the reason I came to find you!” he said, looking a bit more excited now. “I want to show you something.” He grabbed her hand and stood up, pulling her up from the couch with him. She was a little surprised at his touch, but he let go of her hand as soon as she was standing, and she wondered if he even realized he had done it.

“Come on. I know Wanda gave you the grand tour, but she did leave out one area that I wanted to show you myself.”

Jessie followed him all the way to the back of the mansion again and out into the pool area. “We have to go outside for a minute, so you’ll want to grab some warmer clothes,” he said, pointing out an area she hadn’t noticed before. One of the glass windows was actually a door, and there was a closet set into the wall. “Just grab whatever, it doesn’t matter.”

Jessie opened the closet and pulled out a long fur coat that fell all the way down to her ankles. She looked over at James who was attempting to pull on a pair of winter boots. “Seriously?”

He shrugged, trying to hide his grin. “It’s not mine, if that’s what you want to know.”

“Is it Jessiebelle’s?”

He stood up straight. “Probably. We’ll have to get you some actual clothes of your own soon,” he said, almost to himself, then waved a hand at her. “It doesn’t matter. Put it on. It’s warm.”

“How would you know? I thought it wasn’t yours?”

“That doesn’t mean I wouldn’t wear it,” he said, as if that should have been obvious to her. Jessie couldn’t help the laugh that burst from her lips, and then she couldn’t stop.

He looked at her funny. “What?”

“Nothing,” she said through another giggle. In truth it reminded her of all of the times her and James had used certain disguises. Even back then he had never been shy about cross dressing.

She was finally able to compose herself enough to pull the coat on. She found a pair of winter boots in the closet as well. They fit her well enough. “Ready,” she said. James had gotten a coat on in the process of her laughing, and had been waiting for her.

“Good, let’s go,” he said, pulling open the door. A cold gust of wind blew through the door, making Jessie shiver even through the coat she had on. “It’s not too far so let’s hurry.” He took a step out into the snow and sank down, almost to his knees. “Oh it’s deep,” he said matter-of-factly, then trudged on into it. Jessie followed behind, taking care to step in all of his footprints to keep the snow mostly off of her and to keep it from touching her legs, which were still bare under the boots and coat. She followed him out into the yard, and when she looked up from the ground she realized they were walking toward the glass building she had noticed earlier. It didn’t take them long to cross the yard to the door of the building, and Jessie noticed that the ground around the building wasn’t covered in snow. As soon as she stepped up to it she could feel the heat from inside. It was made of fogged glass like she had thought before.

James looked at her. “When we bought this house I had them build this back here. It was originally just for my Pokemon, but when I realized how many wild Pokemon there are around here, I had it made bigger.” He grabbed the handle which was rather large and pulled with both hands. The door slid open and he motioned for Jessie to step inside first. She walked inside, looking around. James closed the door behind them.

Jessie grinned as she looked around the place. She knew right away that it was a makeshift shelter for Pokemon. It was like a greenhouse, but it was giant and beautiful. It was filled with grass, bushes, various plants, and trees. She could also hear the sound of rushing water coming from somewhere she couldn’t see. She noticed a pathway leading into the brush and she wondered just how far back it went.

James stood beside her and was about to say something to her when a green blur shot out of a bush and wrapped itself around him. Jessie took a step back from him in alarm.

“Carnivine. This. Is. Not. The. Time,” James said as he yanked at Carnivine’s leaves and vines, which were wrapped around his legs and waist. Jessie covered her mouth with her hand to hide her smile. When James had finally unwound himself from Carnivine’s grip, he turned to her and rolled his eyes. “Some things never change.”

“I can see that.” Carnivine hovered around James, glancing around him to look at Jessie. James sighed but ignored the Pokemon, and then looked around suspiciously. Jessie looked around as well, wondering what he was looking for. “What is it?”

“Nothing,” he said. He took off the coat he was wearing and set it on the grass near the door. She did the same, already starting to sweat in the heat of the greenhouse.

“Here come the Sunflora,” James said, pointing to a spot in the trees where Jessie noticed a mass of yellow starting to emerge. “They’re not shy, so they always come out when there’s a commotion.”

“How many Pokemon live here?”

James shrugged. “A lot. Most of them are wild but take shelter here in the winter. Most of the grass types can’t survive out there in this weather and would otherwise need to migrate somewhere warmer for the winter.” The Sunflora were starting to walk out onto the grass, but once they noticed Jessie and realized she was just another visitor and nothing important was happening, they kept to their own business. Carnivine left to play around with the Sunflora.

James started walking away. “Follow me.”

She walked behind him down the stone path that had been set up. Through the trees she noticed all manner of grass types, plus a few bug types here and there. The sound of rushing water was becoming louder the longer they walked, and finally they emerged from the trees to a large pond with a waterfall. The water from the pond powered the waterfall in an endless cycle.

Jessie noticed a school of Magikarp swim by, and there was a group of Ducklett floating close to the shore. There was a small gazebo set up in an open area near the pond, with a bench under it. To the other side of the area was a small rock cave. Jessie noticed an orange ball of fluff pop its head out of the cave, but when it noticed her it went straight back in.

“What was that?” she asked James.

“In the cave?”

“Yeah.”

“It was probably one of the Growlithe puppies.”

“You have Growlithe puppies?!”

He nodded. “They’re shy and I wouldn’t go near the cave right now. The father is a real brute and very protective.”

Jessie raised her eyebrows at him but he offered no further explanation. Instead he led her over to the gazebo and Jessie took a seat on the bench under it. James was about to sit when he noticed something out of the back of the gazebo, and Jessie was shocked when he turned and bolted away from her. “What are you-?”

That was all she managed to say when a large Pokemon launched its way through the gazebo and past her, causing Jessie to let out a shriek. The Pokemon stood up on the other side and looked around. James hadn’t gotten very far yet and the Pokemon sprinted to him.

He turned around when he realized there was no point in running. He held out his hands. “No, no, no, no!” he repeated, hoping the Pokemon would stop. Jessie watched as the Pokemon wrapped its arms around James in a hug and squeezed her eyes shut when she saw it release its spikes. James let out a shriek louder than hers had been.

When Jessie opened her eyes again the Cacturne had already released James from its hug and was standing in front of him, looking worried. It was huge, almost as tall as James and twice as wide. Jessie was sure most Cacturne weren’t much taller than four feet, but this one was surprisingly large.

Jessie got up and jogged over to them. James was still standing in the same position, attempting not to move too much. She noticed the spines sticking out from his arms and around his back, anywhere the Cacturne’s arms or body had managed to touch.

“Oh my,” she said. James made a face at her. “Oh, sorry.” As gently as she could she guided him back over to the gazebo, with him saying “ow” every other step. Cacturne followed them but kept its distance this time. “Sit down but don’t lean back at all, they’re everywhere.”

James sat and glared at Cacturne, who looked down at the ground in embarrassment. “It doesn’t know its own strength anymore,” he said through gritted teeth. “It wasn’t so bad when it was still a Cacnea.”

“Oh! This is the Cacnea you gave to that gym leader?”

He nodded. “She contacted me not long after I was back home. Said Cacnea had turned out great with all the training she’d given it and she wanted to give it back to me. She brought it back to me and it was this giant Cacturne!” He winced as Jessie pulled out one of the spines. “Ow!”

Jessie shushed him. “Well seeing as how big it is I’d say she did a good job.”

“Too good of a job. I think she just wanted to give it back because she couldn’t handle it anymore. I love Cacturne and everything but I really can’t take much more of this poking it gives me every time I come out here.” Cacturne looked extra guilty now. “I know it’s how you show affection,” James said, addressing the Pokemon. “But you have to learn to control those spikes of yours.” Cacturne nodded and turned to slink away back into the bushes.

Jessie sat down beside him on the bench and watched Cacturne go. “I think you hurt its feelings.”

James shrugged. “It’ll be back.”

Jessie smiled and concentrated on plucking out the spines from his right arm. When she was done she moved to his other side and removed the spines from his left. He used this time to pull the spines out of his chest and stomach with his free hand. They had managed to pierce right through the shirt he was wearing. “This hurts,” he whined.

“Looks like it,” Jessie said.

“Thanks for the empathy, Jess.”

“Turn around.”

He turned so his back was facing her and she grimaced at the amount of spines. “This is going to hurt a lot.”

He took a deep breath. “Great.”

She did it as fast as she could, hoping the speediness of it would make it hurt less. It didn’t stop James from letting out a yelp every so often. By the time she was done his shirt was starting to dot red with blood. “You’re bleeding a bit, but I think they’re all out. You might want to clean that up when we get back inside.”

He turned and sat back gently. “Ah, finally.”

Jessie sat back as well, moving herself slightly closer to him. “It’s so beautiful out here.”

He nodded. “I spend most of my time out here. I enjoy taking care of the Pokemon and making sure everything is still working properly for them.”

She knew he was probably leaving out the fact that out here he was able to get away from Jessiebelle, but she didn’t mention it. They sat together and stared out over at the pond where the Ducklett were still paddling away, dunking their heads under the water every so often.

Jessie glanced over at James who still had the ghost of a smile on his face. She looked down at the ground. “James, can I say something?”

He turned to her. “Of course.”

“I wanted to apologize to you.” His face turned serious and he looked away from her. He didn’t say anything, so she continued. “I did go back you know. To find you again, but you were gone. Not that it’s your fault. You couldn’t stay there waiting for me in case I did come back. But I’ve felt terrible about it ever since. Not a day has gone by where I haven’t thought about you and Meowth. I just wanted you to know how sorry I was.”

He nodded slowly. “I was mad at you for the longest time, Jessie. I understood you wanting to go off and be Top Coordinator, but I never understood why you didn’t want me with you while doing it. I would have followed you anywhere you wanted to go. I would have quit Team Rocket if that’s what you wanted. Anything to stay with you and not end up back here. Back then I thought my life was going to turn out a lot different.”

“How did you think your life was going to go?” she asked. Back then she thought she would become Top Coordinator easily, but it hadn’t turned out that way.

James seemed to think for a moment before answering her, but eventually shook his head. “Just different.” He turned to her and forced a smile. “Anyways. I forgave you a long time ago.”

“Why?”

“I decided I couldn’t be mad at you anymore for doing what you wanted to do. I still couldn’t bring myself to watch any contests on TV; just in case you were there. That’s why I had no idea what happened to you. I didn’t watch the Grand Festival the year you left so I didn’t know that you had lost. Not to mention the fact that back then Jessiebelle would have thrown a fit if she realized I was watching it to see you.

It wasn’t until a few months later that I heard that the winner of the Grand Festival was coming to Kanto. I was disappointed it wasn’t you, and after that I just assumed you were going to start collecting ribbons again. So life went on.”

Jessie nodded. She didn’t expect him to say much else. He thought that she had wanted to be rid of him, so why would he have bothered to search her out? Jessie let out a breath, and then a thought came to her. “What happened to Meowth? Do you know?”

James shook his head. “The last I saw him he had decided to head back towards Snowpoint City in Sinnoh, to become a ramen chef, or whatever it was that he had done back then. I decided not to go with him, and that was the last I saw of him.” Jessie nodded. Meowth deserved it after everything he had gone through with them, and she wished him only the best.

They sat in silence for a few minutes, and Jessie found herself again trying to wrap her mind around the fact that she had ended up here out of all places in a time where she needed a friend the most. It was incredible that she had found James again after all of these years, without even searching for him.

However she was also acutely aware of the fact that she was so out of place in his life now. She felt terrible about it, but she couldn’t help the niggling feeling of disappointment she felt whenever she caught a glimpse of the wedding ring James now wore. Suddenly, she felt very guilty for taking up so much of his time. She hadn’t even seen Jessiebelle that day, and she wondered if James had bothered to check up on her since he had gotten home.

She didn't want to dampen his spirits but she was now very aware at how long they had been outside together. She stood up and brushed the skirt of her dress down. "We should go back inside. Jessiebelle is probably wondering what we’re doing…”

James looked up at her, a strange look on his face. “Right. She probably is…” He stood up and stretched, and then called out into the bushes. “Cacturne! We’re going. Take care of the other Pokemon while I’m gone.”

There was no answer to his call, but he didn’t seem to mind. He headed back towards the path to the front of the large greenhouse. Jessie followed behind him in silence.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter was pretty long. I almost split it into two, but ended up deciding to keep it like it is. Thanks for reading. :)


End file.
